VOA常速英语2007-UN Mission in Haiti to Expand Policing Efforts

By Brian Wagner
Miami
16 October 2007

United Nations officials have agreed to extend the peacekeeping mission in Haiti as part of a plan to add more international police. VOA's Brian Wagner recently visited the Caribbean nation, where officials say the renewed efforts will help improve policing on Haiti's borders and in their national waters.

More than three years into their mission, United Nations officials in Haiti are seeking to reform their 9,100-member peacekeeping team to better address ongoing¹ criminal and security problems.

The Security Council agreed unanimously Monday to extend the U.N. mission another year, as it works to strengthen Haiti's government. The resolution calls on the mission to reduce the number of military troops and deploy² an additional 140 international police officers, increasing the size of the police contingent³ to nearly 2,100.

U.N. military forces have been credited with restoring peace to even some of the most violent parts of Haiti, by carrying out raids and other military operations.

In a recent interview, J. Carter, head of civil affairs for the U.N. mission, says the focus now is on conducting more police operations.

"Particularly with regard to border control, customs, immigration, things of that nature," he said. "That's one of the insecurities that remains⁴, is Haiti's lack of control of its own borders and territories."

Illegal drug networks have been able to take advantage of weaknesses in Haiti's security forces in recent years to ship contraband⁵ from South America to traffickers in the United States and elsewhere. Also, insecurity along Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic has been a source of tension between the neighbors on the island of Hispaniola.

Carter says cooperation between international police and Haitian officers already has produced results, such as the arrest of several alleged⁶ drug kingpins this year. He says such efforts are helping⁷ to restore confidence in the nation's government.

"The people are beginning to see results too, and that counts," he said. "Because that provides a certain conviction and imbues⁸ credibility to the [Haitian] government's efforts."

Some Haitian lawmakers, however, have criticized the joint⁹ police efforts, especially agreements that have allowed U.S. anti-drug agents to make arrests on Haitian soil. They say such operations violate Haiti's sovereignty.

But deputy Jean Dorsonee Verrettes from the northern Artibonite region, says international support is needed until Haiti's police force can function on its own. He says Haiti's police force still has some weaknesses and lacks key resources. Verrettes says the support of international partners may help overcome some of those problems.

For months, the U.N. mission has been working with Haiti's police force to rebuild its infrastructure¹⁰ and reform its training program for new officers. The top U.N. police official, Richard Warren, says one major goal is to combat the perception of corruption¹¹ that has plagued Haiti's police for decades.

"The change in reality is to move the orientation¹² of the police service from one that serves the state to one that serves the people," he said. "If we can do that and it can be sustainable in Haiti, I think we have a bright future for the police."

Warren says 1,400 Haitian police officers have completed the new training program, and officials hope to graduate classes of similar size each year through 2011.

The current mandate¹³ of the U.N. mission in Haiti allows it to operate until next October, and it is unclear if officials will extend it further.

Haiti's President Rene Preval has praised the assistance from the U.N. and other international partners. In a speech last month at the United Nations, he noted¹⁴ that the presence of foreign troops remains difficult for many Haitians to accept, and he suggested the U.N. mission cannot remain forever.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 contraband   

n.违禁品，走私品

参考例句：

• Most of the city markets were flooded with contraband goods.大多数的城市市场上都充斥着走私货。
• The customs officers rummaged the ship suspected to have contraband goods.海关人员仔细搜查了一艘有走私嫌疑的海轮。

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 imbues   

v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的第三人称单数 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等）

参考例句：

• Love for one's fellow creatures imbues every line of the drawing. 这张画的每一根线条都浸透着这种感情。 来自辞典例句
• We cannot assume that merely learning a language imbues one with any kind of value system. 我们不能假定说，学习某种语文就会吸收某种价值观。 来自互联网

9 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

12 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

13 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

14 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。